The second fire to hit the Pretoria Magistrates Court in two days was in the same court room where former Ekurhuleni police boss Robert McBride's trial is being heard.

On Monday, 12 awaiting trial prisoners were trapped for more than two hours when a storeroom caught fire.

On Tuesday, a blaze broke out in court room one. The latest fire is not the first strange incident surrounding the McBride drunk driving trial.

Last year, someone broke into the offices of Magistrate Peet Johnson and stole several documents relating to the case of the former Ekurhuleni metro police chief.

The case is set to resume later this month.

Although the second blaze inside the Pretoria Magistrate's Court was less dramatic than Monday's, it is far more suspicious.

The section of the building affected was not in use due to the fire the day before.

Authorities are probing the possibility that it may have been arson.

Meanwhile, officials will be back in the building on Wednesday trying to find out what exactly happened.

They will also want to see how much damage has been caused.

"The court was not operational at the time. Some of the offices that are behind the magistrate's bench had to be broken for [better ventilation]," says the City of Tshwane's Console Tleane.